We live in the Tn valley and so far avoided the major storms last year and this year but got to thinking. Wife and I decided if enough time is provided that if the weather people say that the set up if coming for these kind of outbreaks I am going to take the TT to the state park about 8 miles and way and hope that the weather wont get both the house and TT. Of course will stay in the house basement during but should it become uninhabitable we might still have the camper for tempory housing. Does or has anyone else thought\think this way.

If you have a house basement, that is the place to be. Wx service and NOAA's prediction of when a storm is going to hit your location is a best guess at best. You cannot out run a storm and it's path can change w/out notice or prediction. 8 miles means nothing to a storm changing it's path. A state park or any campground is not a place to be during severe weather. Most likely they would evacuate the campground and that usually means leaving your camper behind. Time is important when comes too saving lives. Saving campers is not. I too live in Tennessee Tornado Alley. Wednesday and Friday we dodged the bullet, however, our "Pucker Factor" was at 9 on a scale of 10. Our basement has a storm safe area.

opnspaces: You got the jest of the post and your right it would stink for the camper to get hit but the house where it stays doesn't. I guess I was looking at it from at least one of the two might survive and I would not have to stay a hotel if the house were to be hit. I was just seeing what others thought.

I read this as the poster plans to take the trailer to the local statepark and leave it there. He is then going to drive back home and take shelter in the basement. The hope is that by seperating the two pieces (house and RV) that at least one of the two will survive the storm.

I guess it makes sense. But as posted above, it sure would make a guy feel rotten if the house was untouched and the camper which he just moved was destroyed.

If you take your trailer to the State Park and it gets nailed in a storm while everything at the house is quiet and comfortable, I think you might have regrets. Hind site is always 20/20, but insurance is for those things that can't be avoided. I guess, I'd take my chances with where things are and spend my time taking care of and protecting the family, which is not replaceable with any amount of insurance.

Sounds good to me. For some reason tornadoes are attracted to trailers and trailer parks, so if moving trailer attracts the storm, then house is safe. TT can be replaced much faster and less expensive than house, so if I'm going to chance losing one, then it's the TT. When we have hurricanes, I move our TT to another location.

To the original OP, if you have the time, the money and it makes you feel better with your TT at the state park, then move it. Your not staying inside of it during severe weather, so where you put it is entirely up to you. There is the chance a tornado could hit your house and leave the camper, but the odds are just as good the TT will get hit and not the house, but most likely not both. If you're worried about debris, I'm sorry but there is nowhere safe above ground in the middle of a tornado. I saw the video last week of the 2X4 that went through a brick wall of a house and that 2X4 was not from that house.

Honestly, simply not worth it, IMO. I'm in the TN valley as well (Sweetwater). Much more likely for the TT to be damaged at a campground than home. How many campgrounds do you know of that have everything secured so it won't go flying against other campers?

Not to mention the additional cost of leaving it at the CG.

When I saw what was coming last week, I put the stabilizers down and hunkered down. We had a tornado 10 miles from us in either direction. It's the luck of the draw.

Oh, and that Tornado that hit Tellico Plains - it LEVELED the Tellico Plains KOA. Luckily, it was closed for the season and no one was there. I'm talking NOTHING left. No office, no bathhouse, trees broken in half, it was bad. 400 yards wide and 14.5 miles on the ground.

Nope about wanting to replace camper we like it to well, it fits our needs great. As far as having time I am just going by the weather man when "Two days from now there is the potential for severe storms including possiable tornados etc ...." that would leave plenty of time. If the storms where already here then to the basement and hope for the best.

Phathead wrote:We live in the Tn valley and so far avoided the major storms last year and this year but got to thinking. Wife and I decided if enough time is provided that if the weather people say that the set up if coming for these kind of outbreaks I am going to take the TT to the state park about 8 miles and way and hope that the weather wont get both the house and TT. Of course will stay in the house basement during but should it become uninhabitable we might still have the camper for tempory housing. Does or has anyone else thought\think this way.

Kinda makes sense, assuming you have plenty of time to do it. How much lead time would you have? Would you have time to move the TT to the nearby state park, and make it back home in time to get in the basement? The last thing you want to happen is get caught out in the open.